Fans are in shock after realizing one of Elf Star’s main stars looks completely unrecognizable, 21 years after the beloved film was released in cinemas.
The festive classic is perhaps one of the most popular Christmas films of all time and with the holidays in full swing, many will be seeing the 2003 film back on screen this week.
The blockbuster, in which Hollywood actor Will Ferrell (57) plays the role of Buddy Hobbs, follows his crazy life as a human raised by elves at the North Pole.
His alter ego decides to go to New York City in a mission to feel ‘normal’, so packs his bags and – dressed in his elf outfit – heads to the city to find his biological father.
When he finds his biological father Walter Hobbs (James Caan), he discovers that he has a young son named Michael, played by Daniel Tay.
After Elf made him famous, Michael played the title role in Doogal (2005) and also starred in Beer League (2006) and Brooklyn Rules (2007).
Fans are in shock after realizing one of Elf Star’s main stars looks completely unrecognizable, 21 years after the beloved film was released in theaters
After a successful career as a child star, Daniel left the profession to pursue a master’s degree at Columbia University
His last credit was a voiceover role in Grand Theft Auto IV (2009) before leaving Hollywood behind and retiring from acting.
After a successful career as a child star, Daniel left the profession and attended Columbia University.
The now 31-year-old attended Yale and earned a BA in Economics. During this time he worked as a teacher at Versitas Prep.
He then continued his education and received his degree from Columbia University, where he also worked as a research assistant and lecturer at Bespoke.
Now he is currently pursuing his PhD at Cornell University.
According to The ExpressAfter college, Daniel became an SAT tutor at Veritas Prep, a company that helps students prepare for final exams.
They reported that the company’s website reads: “While at Yale, Daniel worked as a teaching assistant and peer tutor in the Computer Science Department.
“He also received the Richard U. Light Fellowship for his studies in Mandarin Chinese.
‘He believes that teaching and learning are expressions of the basic human need for mutual understanding. With this in mind, he works with students to cultivate relationships based on clarity, humor, structure and respect.”
When he finds his biological father Walter Hobbs (James Caan), he discovers that he has a young son named Michael, played by Daniel Tay.
He next played the title role in Doogal (2005) and also starred in Beer League (2006) and Brooklyn Rules (2007) (pictured in 2009)
The now 31-year-old attended Yale and earned a BA in Economics. During this time he worked as a teacher at Versitas Prep (pictured left in the film)
Elf premiered back in 2003 and has since been adapted into a Broadway musical: Elf: The Musical, as well as Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas.
So the fact that there hasn’t been an Elf 2 yet is quite surprising, considering its popularity in the early 2000s.
Speaking to The Guardian, Will told them: ‘I killed the idea of a sequel.
“$29 million seems like a lot of money for a man to wear pantyhose, but that’s what the market will bear.”
Then James Caan, who plays Buddy’s father Walter Hobbs, gave another reason why.
The actor claimed that Will and director Jon Favreau “didn’t get along.”
James told Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan’s Bull & Fox in 2020, “We were going to do it and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I finally have a franchise movie, I can make some money, let my kids do whatever they want.’ to do.
‘The director and Will didn’t get along very well.
“So Will wanted to do it, he didn’t want the director, and he had it in his contract, it was one of those things.”